


You mermake me happy

by starrywons



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-05-30 15:59:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15100175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrywons/pseuds/starrywons
Summary: based off a prompt i saw somewhere on tumblr (i've lost the link though rip so if anybody knows please let me know so i can credit!)“I am a simple mermaid trying to get a simple college education and you f**KERS KEEP PREVENTING THAT BY THROWING WATER BALLOONS AT ME FIVE MINUTES BEFORE CLASS SO IM STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE F*CKING QUAD FOR A HOUR UNTIL IT WEARS OFF” (Alternatively, I was skipping class and saw you trying to drag you and your huge ass tail through the courtyard–do you need help? I guess I can carry you to class if you’d like, though I’m not so sure this was worth being called ‘Prince Eric’ for the next two weeks)





	1. just a fish out of water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so i've not wrote in such a long time but i've recently been inspired again (mostly by @meiqis and her amazing zhengjun i cry) plus i'll be starting my creative writing degree in oct (finally) and i need a lot of practise!!! this is p badly written i'm sorry and it hasn't been beta'd so if there's any mistakes pls let me know but i hope someone enjoys it!!

 

Yanjun blinked slowly. I mean sure, the whole reason why he ended up skipping his morning class was because he really didn’t get much sleep last night but even then, what he was seeing had to have been out of a dream. In the middle of the grass he watched as what looked like a merman struggle to pull himself across to the entrance of the university, clearly, he was having a hard time and as much as Yanjun just wanted to stay here drinking his coffee in peace he really couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Rubbing his eyes, he stretched up from his seat on the courtyard bench and started to make his way over to the boy dragging himself across the quad. As he got closer he realised how fucking _pretty_ he was, messy brown hair clung to his forehead and his side profile looked like it had been personally sculpted by the gods, all straight cheekbones and plump lips, eyes shining even through the layers of sparkly eyeshadow. Possibly the most beautiful thing though was his tail, it looked strong and powerful but the most striking deep pink, iridescent scales reflecting with purples and blues in the morning sunlight. Now that Yanjun was almost next to him he could hear his soft cursing as he continued to try and claw his way to class, something about ‘fuckers and water balloons’ and ‘why can’t they just let him be’ and he couldn’t help the little puff of a laugh that escaped him causing the merman to snap his head round in irritation.

 

“If you’re not going to help me then stop laughing and leave me alone!” he huffed angrily. Yanjun laughed again and swirled the last of his coffee round in his cup, knocking it back he threw the empty cup into the nearby waste bin and turned back to the now glaring merman.

 

“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to laugh but I don’t think I’ve ever heard a merman curse before, I though merkind were supposed to be soft and elegant?” This time it was the boy’s chance to laugh, fixing his eyes on Yanjun he flapped his tail against the ground, the sound hitting with a dull thud.

 

“Does this tail look soft and elegant to you? If we were in the water I could probably kill you with one swish!” Yanjun nodded sagely, while he had no doubts about the truth of this statement, the way he had said it with his eyes narrowed and indignant little pout the only thing Yanjun could think was _cute_.

 

“Who said anything about killing me? Are you really threatening the only person around that can help?” The boy’s eyes flickered around the courtyard and upon seeing its emptiness he let out a soft sigh, “will you help me then?”

 

“Only if you promise not to kill me later”

 

“I promise, I promise! Just please help me get to class I really can’t miss another Professor Zhang will kill me”. Yanjun nodded again and squatted down, ready to pull the boy up when he realised that even if he did it’s not like he could stay upright by himself. Stepping over his tail he positioned himself behind and wrapped his arms around his waist and the middle of his tail, heaving him up into a princess carry.

 

“H-hey what do you think you’re doing?!” the boy’s hands fluttering against Yanjuns in an attempt to loosen his grip.

 

“Jesus, calm down how else did you think I was going to help you to class? It’s not like I could just prop you up and let you walk there you have a freaking tail” A freaking _heavy_ tail Yanjun thought through gritted teeth, jesus how much did this thing weigh, he could feel the boy sigh and relax in his arms as he began the walk to the university’s front steps, pout still present on his face as if this was the worst possible scenario that could’ve happened. Holy shit he was really cute up close.

 

“So, what’s your name anyway, I can’t just go around calling you merman”

 

“it’s Zhengting, Zhu Zhengting”

 

“as in, Professor Zhang’s prize student Zhu Zhengting?” Yanjun let out a low whistle. He’d heard all about the boy with the most beautiful modern dance this universities ever seen from his friends that share Zhengting’s class.  A small smile and a blush spread on Zhengting’s face,

 

“yeah, I guess… how do you even know me though? I’ve never seen you around the dance building before, what’s your name?”

 

“Slow down, too many questions at once” Yanjun laughed “I’m Lin Yanjun, I’m an English major but I have a lot of friends in your class, they’ve talked about you before but they never thought to mention you were a merman” Zhengting laughed, bracing himself as Yanjun hefted him up higher starting to climb the stairs and Yanjun wished he could hear that sound over and over again. Getting through the door was a struggle as he had both of his hands occupied but with a few hip checks and some help from Zhengting trying to prop the door open (a little unsuccessfully but it was the thought that counts) they were finally in the main building. Yanjun headed to the right staircase ready to start the inevitably painful ascent to the dance practise rooms when he felt a hand dabbing at his forehead.

 

“I’m really sorry about this, it can’t be easy to carry me all this way so thank-”

 

“how did you even end up in this situation anyway? I thought merfolk can only transform when they get wet but it’s the middle of summer, it hasn’t rained in days” Yanjun looks down at him and sees his pout is back; he looks like he’s thinking hard about the right way to phrase it, eyes flicking up to Yanjun’s as if he wants to gague how he’ll react.

 

“Well it’s pretty much the same thing every week to be honest” he sighs, and it sounds bitter. “these girls… well, they have a crush on one of my close friends, he’s super popular and they all seem to think we’re dating just because we spend a lot of time together and they hate it, just don’t want to believe he’s gay I guess” he rolls his eyes and huffs an annoyed laugh “just wait till they find out he does have a boyfriend and it’s not even me, then they’ll be annoyed”

 

“that still doesn’t explain how you’ve ended up like this though” Yanjun readjusts him again and looks down for an explanation, Zhengting dabbing at his forehead again. His voice is small when he answers, almost embarrassed.

 

“They throw water balloons at me…” Zhengting averts his gaze and Yanjun feels an unexplainable rage flare up in him,

 

“What the fuck?! How have they been getting away with this? Have you reported it to anyone?”

 

“What’s the point, no one would believe me anyway and besides even if I did they’d probably just find some other way to mess with me” he sounds so dejected as he says this that Yanjun feels his heart break a little, it just seemed so ridiculous to him that someone would go out of their way to make someone so miserable just because they thought he was dating someone they liked.

 

“What time do you start going to your first class?” Zhengting looks up at him again all wide eyed,

 

“I usually start walking through the courtyard at 7:40am why?”

 

“I’ll walk with you starting from tomorrow” Ok, so maybe Yanjun couldn’t even wake up on time for his own morning class most days but he’ll make himself do it if only so he can see the bright smile that’s currently directed at him now all the time instead.

 

“You will? Really? Thank you so much, honestly I would’ve asked one of my classmates but it’s just so embarrassing having to explain why and their dorms are on the other side of campus so it’d would be so much extra effort for them, not that they wouldn’t if they knew but-”

 

“How is it humanly possible for you to be able to talk so much this early”

 

“I think you’re forgetting one crucial point here…” Zhengting blinks up at him with a sly smirk, then he flaps his tail and laughs as Yanjun struggles to keep hold “I’m not exactly human remember!”

 

The pair had finally reached the 3rd floor practise rooms and the closer they got to the doors the more Yanjun started to slow down, he would blame it on tiredness, I mean he had just carried a heavy ass merman through half the quad and up 3 flights of stairs, but the reality was he just didn’t want to leave him just yet. Yeah sure he was loud and he talked too much for stupid o’clock in the morning, but his laugh was like a gentle wave crashing onto sun kissed sand and his smile was like seeing the sun up close, bright and full of all the warmth of summer. It left Yanjun breathless and wanting to see nothing else but him, he can’t believe they’d never been introduced before with all their mutual friends (Chaoze is definitely going to be hearing some choice words from Yanjun after this) but he was infinitely glad that his lazy ass decided to skip first period again because now he finally had a reason to wake up at that ungodly time in the morning. He didn’t want to read too much into it but it felt like Zhengting was a little reluctant to part too, if his soft sigh and wandering gaze were anything to go by. As they finally reached the door Zhengting lifted his am ready to knock before dropping it again and turning to look at Yanjun.

 

“I know I said this before but really, truly, thank you for today, I really couldn’t have made it here without your help and you were pretty good company along the way too” this final statement was punctuated with a laugh and a cheeky smile and Yanjun couldn’t help but laugh along,

 

“I can promise you I’m much better company when I’m not sweating my back out carrying someone up too many flights of stairs” he laughed “but you’ll find that out for yourself tomorrow”

 

“you’ll really come tomorrow?”

 

“of course I will, there’s no way I’d have the strength to do this again tomorrow so I’d better stop those girls before they even get the chance” at this Zhengting flashed another blinding smile and nodded, hair which had almost dried out bouncing with the movement and making him look even cuter than before.

 

“Ok! I’ll trust you then, you can be like my own little Prince Eric” laughing manically he tapped his fist against the door before Yanjun could complain and it swung open to reveal a highly amused Yanchen who just held out his arms for Yanjun to transfer him over to.  

 

“Well I wasn’t quite expecting this when we realised you were going to be late again but I’m glad you made it here in one piece today at least” Zhengting just pushed at Yanchen’s shoulder and cursed at him while Yanchen just laughed and turned to go back into the class Zhengting safely in his grip. Yanjun was a little bit disappointed that Zhengting didn’t seem to care about leaving him so soon until his face popped up over Yanchen’s shoulder, another blinding smile and an enthusiastic wave thrown his way,

 

“See you tomorrow!”

 

“Yeah see you tomorrow, Prince Eric” Yanchen called out, Zhengting and his other classmates laughing hysterically while Yanjun just sputtered, a blush spreading on his face as the door swung shut.

 

* * *

 

 

In hindsight, Yanjun thought, promising a cute boy you would walk them to class seemed like a great idea in theory, but waking up at ass o’clock, no matter how cute the boy, is horrendous. Standing outside of Zhengting’s dorm at 7:30 armed with the biggest coffee he could physically consume and a golf umbrella (don’t ask) he was all but ready to turn around and go back to bed when he heard his new favourite sound stopping him in his tracks,

 

“good morning my Prince!” ok, so he was definitely lying to himself before, waking up solely to walk a cute boy to class was his best idea ever.

 

“Are you ready to go?”

 

“Yep!” Holy shit he really is too cute, Yanjun still can’t understand how he could be so perky in the morning but he found himself not even caring when Zhengting hopped down the stairs and over to where he was standing, linking his arm through his. With his legs he was actually pretty tall, just a few inches shorter than Yanjun and he was wearing the most sinfully tight jeans it was almost making Yanjun pray for the tail again so he didn’t have to think about them. Reaching the courtyard, he feels Zhengting tense next to him, preparing himself for the worst, eyes scanning the quad until he spots a group of girls holding a plastic bag filled with colourful balloons. Yanjun stops walking and downs the rest of his coffee, turning to Zhengting with a full dimpled smile,

 

“Are you ready for this?” Zhengting blinks at him slowly, cocking his head to one side,

 

“Ready for what?” Yanjun just smiles as he pops open the umbrella, grabs Zhengting’s hand and just says:

 

“Run!”

 

As the balloons bounce off the umbrella and explode on the ground the only sounds that could be heard is the bright laughter of two boys who may or may not be falling a little in love.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i left the ending kinda open so if anyone wants to see anymore from this particular plot then just leave a comment and i might turn into a multi chap! also i'm hoping to write quite a bit more so i'm considering opening a cc on my twt for prompts if anyone would be interested but for now i'll just leave my twt and if anyone wants to give me a prompt u can just dm me!!
> 
> @ilyzzt
> 
> i hope it wasn't too bad and that it was enjoyable to read!! and if u read this far then thank u so much!!!


	2. you mermaid to go far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> zhengting's apologising again and yanjun has a mental breakdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeet ok so bcs so many ppl commented saying they wanted to see more here we go!! (thank u so much omg;;;;;;; it makes me so happy to know so many ppl liked it;;;;;) idk how i feel abt this chapter, idk it feels maybe too rushed? or out of place? but i hope you enjoy it anyways!!!! theres a lil more backstory in this and stuff that wasn't explained in the 1st chap is looked at a lil more,,,,, as for how this is gonna pan out in the long term there'll be more abt that in the ending notes so for now i hope u enjoy!!

“I’m really sorry about them…” Yanjun looked up hearing the sigh as a delicate hand pushed a takeout cup of his favourite coffee towards him, he laughed and gestures to the seat opposite his, pushing his textbooks out of the way to make room for his guest.

 

“You really need to stop apologising for stuff that isn’t your fault,” Yanjun takes a sip of his coffee, smiling softly at the fact he’d remembered his order perfectly even after only hearing it the once that one-time they met at the coffee shop instead of the dorms for their daily sprint across campus. “although, on second thoughts, I guess technically this one is actually your fault?” he teased. He loved the faint blush spreading across Zhengting’s face as he sputtered and blinked trying to come up with a reason about how it totally wasn’t his fault even though he knew it was true otherwise he wouldn’t be here with reconciliatory coffee in the first place. Finally, he seemed to settle on an answer, determined eyes meeting his, mouth trying (and failing) not to pout,

 

“ok so maybe it was but I was saying it as a joke! I didn’t think they would drag it on for so long, I mean my friends are incredibly dramatic that’s just how they are but are you sure you’re not embarrassed? I really don’t think they’ll stop until they get some kind of reaction out of you-” Yanjun just smiled bemusedly as Zhengting rambled on in front of him, arm gesticulating wildly as he tried to get his point across, he looked really pretty today, well, he looked pretty everyday but today especially so, it looked like he’d come straight from his dance practise, long loose fitting white shirt over tight black pants, softly styled brown curls bouncing as he talked, the library lighting reflecting the sparkles in his eyeshadow making him look more like an angel than a merman. Yanjun could really look at him all day, revelling in his beauty but it looked like Zhengting had finally realised he wasn’t paying attention to whatever he was talking about now if the hand being waved in his face had anything was any indication.

 

“You’re not even listening to me are you!?”

 

“I’ve told you before, you talk way too much” Yanjun laughed as Zhengting started pouting again, “I really don’t have any issues with it, besides every boys dreamed of being a prince at least once right?”

 

“Yes, but, do you not think a childish banner like that could really hurt your chances?” Ah. So, this is what he’s here about, Yanjun could kind of guess from his apology and then his babble about his friends but Yanjun honestly didn’t care in the slightest, to be honest he’d only said he’d been thinking of joining the running for student body president in passing he hadn’t actually thought about seriously applying until his dumbass friends handed him an acceptance letter stating he’d been accepted for a place in the voting and that he should start preparing his campaign even though he’d never sent an application in the first place. One day he really would beat the living daylights out of his friends for getting him in situations like this but he had to admit being student body president would look really good on his resume and the reason he’d even entertained the idea in the first place was so he could enforce stricter rules on bullying and the discrimination of magical beings in school grounds (and if anyone tried to look into this more closely and tie it to a certain fatally charming merman then Yanjun would, of course, completely deny any claims). The banner in question however actually had nothing to do with his annoying friends (for once) and was seemingly all thanks to Zhengting’s equally as meddlesome friends. How they had even managed to get it up there was a mystery to Yanjun but hung just under the main clock tower was a _huge_ pink banner with a picture of Yanjun’s face complete with a superimposed crown and the words ‘vote Prince Eric as your student body president!’. Nobody had managed to take it down yet being as there was physically no place for anyone to stand to hang it in the first place (seriously, how did they manage to get it up there???) and with it being slap bang in the middle of the courtyard it was certainly drawing a whole lot of attention to his cause. Which of course meant that it wasn’t just his and Zhengting’s annoying friends calling him Prince Eric but now practically the whole student body, much to the embarrassment of Zhengting whenever they were together, plus word had since spread that Yanjun walked him to class every morning thanks to water balloon gate so he was pretty sure everyone was convinced they were dating, and while Yanjun was seriously hoping for such an outcome, Zhengting always seemed, not unhappy, but somewhat hesitant about those rumours.

 

“You’re spacing out again!” Yanjun shook himself out of his thoughts, smiling sheepishly at the few students trying to study who turned around at Zhengting’s outburst and gave them pointed looks.

 

“I’m sorry Zheng, I’ve just got a lot on my mind at the minute,” at this Zhengting’s eyes softened “can we go for a little walk and talk about this instead?” at his nod, Yanjun stretched up and started packing his things into his bag, smiling as Zhengting helped by passing some books out of his reach. They started down the flights of stairs in a comfortable silence, exiting out into the courtyard and into the warmth with a satisfied noise.

 

“Do you want to talk about it?”  Yanjun looked over at Zhengting, his soft voice breaking the silence, “whatever was on your mind, do you want to talk about it?” humming non-committedly Yanjun stretched again and sighed turning to look at Zhengting, squinting as the sun illuminated him from behind making him look even more ethereal than before.

 

“Do you think I would make a good student body president?” Zhengting looked surprised, as if that was the last question he was expecting, they started walking slowly around the courtyard, quiet while Zhengting organised his thoughts.

 

“Of course I do, I read your manifest you know,” he was smiling now, a little teasingly, “stricter enforcement for the mistreatment of magical beings by their peers? I never knew you were so interested in human/magical creatures’ relations? I thought you were an English major not politics, maybe you’re in the wrong major?” he laughed and turned to look at Yanjun again, eyes shining with some untold emotion. “I really admire your strength you know, not many people are so passionate about the equality between species, sure people always tell us that they feel bad and that they would never dream of doing anything cruel or mean just because we’re different from each other, but not many would speak out so freely like you’re doing.” They’d managed to walk a quarter way around the courtyard by now and from their new position they could see Yanjun’s banner in all its cheesy glory, Zhengting had a soft smile on his face looking at it, like all his words about it being embarrassing and childish were really at war with his true thoughts.

 

“Do you know how they got it up there?”

 

“No, but I’ve been so curious, did they hire a crane or something dumb? I mean that’s a bit excessive even for a prank”

 

Zhengting laughed out loud, throwing his head back and slapping Yanjun’s arm, his laugh really was the prettiest sound,

 

“they’re committed but not by that much, no, Wenjun flew it up there,” Yanjun choked on his coffee “apparently it took him a while to secure it though since it was so big and Quanzhe wasn’t around to help”

 

“What do you mean he _flew_ it up there!?” Yanjun was still choking and he felt a hand coming up to pat his back while Zhengting cackled, brown eyes positively sparkling with amusement. Once Yanjun finally had his lungs back under control and the warmth of Zhengting’s hand dropped from his back (and if Yanjun missed the feeling he’d never admit it out loud) Zhengting sent a sly smile his way,

 

“you’d be surprised how many students are actually magical but are just keeping it a secret for fears of being discriminated against, you have much more support that you could’ve ever guessed Yanjun.”

 

“Wait, wait, so you’re telling me Wenjun is a magical being? You’re joking, right? Wait does this mean all your little friend group are? Is that why you’re so close? How come you’re the only one ‘out’” Yanjun could feel the wheels in his head turning at about 500 miles a second trying to understand this information, while Zhengting just laughed his ass off next to him,

 

“now look who’s talking too much: yes Wenjun is a magical being, he’s a fairy but that’s his story to tell, so no I’m not joking, yes all of my ‘little friend group’ are magical too and yes that’s why we’re so close” Zhengting paused, as if thinking over his next answer carefully, “as for why I’m the only one ‘out’ I accidentally got splashed with water in dance practise and Chaoze and Yanchen had to carry me back to the dorms and well, it’s a bit hard to deny you’re a merman when you’ve got a huge ass tail on show” he shrugged, throwing another blinding smile at Yanjun “it’s not too bad though, other than those girls who used to throw water balloons at me I haven’t really encountered any other problems, and they were only doing it because they were jealous of me and my ‘relationship’ with Kunkun not because I was a merman” Yanjun frowned at the mention of the boy that had put Zhengting through so much stress, ok sure it wasn’t his fault they were never actually dating and the poor boy hated having so many crazy fangirls watching his every move but Yanjun still couldn’t help the flare of jealously rising in his chest. Maybe he should start throwing water balloons at Xukun… Was that petty? Yanjun feels like its petty but at least him throwing water balloons won’t have any adverse effects on him other than embarrassment, not like how it’d affected Zhengting… But then if his stupid fangirls hadn’t been throwing them at Zhengting then maybe they wouldn’t have met and Yanjun thinks that that is infinitely worse. Suddenly he feels a warm hand entwining with his own, pulling him to the side and out of the path of a bush he was most definitely about to walk into. He looks down at the fingers carded through his and trails his gaze up the arm to meet a soft smile on pretty pink lips, eyes looking back at him fondly, just a tinge of amusement reflecting outwards. Soft laughter drifting through the hazy summer air, making Yanjun’s heart melt and brain short circuit even more than it has been.

 

“you’ve been spacing out a lot today are you sure you’re ok?”  

 

“I don’t want anyone else to carry you when you get stranded” Yanjun blurts out, words, feelings, everything and more bypassing his brain and spilling straight from his heart. Zhengting’s eyes soften even more and he nods,

 

“ok, then, if I ever get in trouble I can just call you?” Now he’s definitely amused, Yanjun can tell by the way the corners of his lips are fighting off a laugh but now he’s just feeling panicky, why did he just say that out loud? What if Zhengting thinks he’s a weirdo or if he doesn’t feel the same way, I mean he almost just admitted that he didn’t want anyone else to touch him when he’s in trouble, is that being too possessive? Oh god maybe he’s going to be super offended and tell Yanjun he doesn’t want to see him anymore-

 

All thoughts go rushing out of his head when Zhengting gently takes his other hand in his and pulls him into a hug, letting go of his hands to wrap them around Yanjun’s frame and rub his back. Yanjun lifts his own hands and drapes them around Zhengting’s waist revelling in the fact that his tiny figure fits so well against his own, sighing he lets body rest against his as he carries on rubbing soothing circles on his back. They stay like that for a while, until Zhengting slowly pulls back taking Yanjun’s hands back in his gently, as if scared he’s going to break him.

 

“you must’ve been really stressed lately for you to be like this, do you want me to help you with your campaign? It’ll help lessen the burden and you can get some advice from the people you’ll be representing in your manifesto?” Zhengting’s speaking to him so gingerly, radiating calm and snapping Yanjun out of whatever mental breakdown he was on the verge of having. He just nodded, not trusting himself to not say anything dumb again and Zhengting just started smiling again, dropping one of Yanjun’s hands but keeping the other tightly in his grasp,

 

“come on, lets head back to the library and I can help you go through your papers” Zhengting slowly pulled on his hand, guiding him to start walking back to entrance of the library. Swinging their hands together playfully Zhengting turned to face Yanjun teasing smile creeping onto his face,

 

“besides… I wouldn’t want anyone else to carry me other than you, you are my Prince after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i hoped u liked it! like i said in the top notes i still dk how to feel abt this chapter but i wanted to post something jshcvbzhs as for how this is gonna pan out in the long run,,,, bcs i was never planning for this to be a multi chap when i first started writing it i kinda don't have much of a plot in mind? so instead of me doing a super in depth multi chap with a big overarching plot i've decided to do lil chaps here and there that are all in the same universe but not necessarily following one big plot? idk if this makes sense jshvbcahs but like it won't be out of order or anything but like,,,, it won't have one big main plot??? that way if anyone has any suggestions for anything they wanna see in this then u can drop it at my brand spanking new [ curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/ilyzzt)!! i'll take any suggestions for this or for something new (providing i think i can write it well enough jksdbvaj) or if u just wanna ask me anything or tell me abt ur day whatever!!
> 
> anyway this was super long i'm sorry i just had a lot to explain lsjdbsd but if you read all this rambling then thank u!!! and i hope u enjoyed it~


	3. seas the day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> two dumb boys finally admit their feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp,,,, here it is,, this is the most i've ever written kfvbhfvbf so i hope u like it!!!! and FINALLY we see some progress (hallelujah)

 

 

Yanjun had been staring at the same blank sheet of paper for at least about an hour mind circling, trying and failing to put something concrete down. All his other attempts were scattered around him in various sizes of crumpled paper balls, the tighter the shape the more annoyed he had been, reading through words that didn’t make sense or that couldn’t convey how he was feeling. Everything would be fine his friends kept telling him, you’re an English major so writing pages of flowery words, words that can convince and inspire, it will be easy for you they said, Yanjun laughed bitterly as he sat his pen down and ran his hands through his hair, frustration bleeding out through his expression, tightly knitted eyebrows and permanent frown etched on his lips. The only thing that had been keeping him sane recently was Zhengting and his bright smiles, his helpful words and gentle touches pushing him through whenever his brain shorted out like today. Yanjun pulled out his phone with the intentions of calling him, asking him to bail him out like he had so often the past week or 2, fingers stilling over his contact, sighing as he looked at the time. It was unfair of him to keep asking for his help like this, Zhengting never complained nor expected anything in return but Yanjun knew he was busy too, preparing for the arts departments big mid-year performance. He thought about calling Zhangjing or even Chaoze before remembering that they were also arts students and would be entirely unhelpful when writing a speech anyway, which brings him back to Zhengting. Like most other times whenever he starts thinking about Zhengting, Yanjun can feel his brain wandering off, setting off on some tangent that has nothing to do with what he was actually trying to think about and instead thinking about how pretty he would probably look today or how soft his lips probably are. Hearing his voice would only make Yanjun want to see him even more so he locks his phone again sighing down at the desk, there was no way he was getting anything done tonight, his brain already being scattered just like the remains of his speech attempts littering the desk. Packing up his stuff and sweeping the remains of his failed attempts into the nearby bin he made to leave, at least if he was back at his dorm he could try to relax, let the ideas flow more freely maybe even ask his dorm mates for help.

 

The sun was setting when Yanjun stepped out into the courtyard, painting the sky hues of pinks, orange, purple, streaks of white weaving through with the breeze. Twilight was always the most peaceful time, the time when Yanjun felt most at ease, not quite time to settle for the night but muted enough that he felt comfortable, relaxed. Eyes drifting up to the arts building out of habit he noticed some lights were still on, probably students spending all their spare time perfecting their performances, bodies and throats working to their max, pouring out their passions into something tangible. Yanjun was almost jealous of them, being able to dedicate themselves to something, to give their minds and hearts and souls to something that could be shared with the world, something that could bring joy to many. Without thinking his feet had already started the path towards the main doors, pushing them open and heading up the stairs, to where he knew the dance practise rooms were, hearing the music, muffled through closed doors drawing him in closer when he sees him. Partially obscured by the door, visible only through the thin window but looking like every bit the vision of beauty and grace. Before Yanjun’s brain even has a chance to catch up his hand is on the handle, pulling it down and stepping into the room, music swelling around him. The mirrors are steamy, condensation dripping down in slow rivulets and if he listened hard enough he could hear the puffs of his breath as he stretched and spun. If you asked Yanjun later what the song was or what the choreography looked like he wouldn’t be able to tell you, the only thing in his mind was Zhengting. Zhengting with his flowing white shirt dancing along with his movements, lifting up with his arms, sticking to his back with sweat when his arms lay flat. Zhengting with his hair drenched, plastered to his forehead but still looking as beautiful as when Yanjun first saw him. Zhengting with his graceful lines and perfectly executed spins, pouring all his love and passion and fire into his every move, eyes alight with emotions, bright and beautiful. Yanjun didn’t know how long he stood there, eyes transfixed, watching Zhengting come alive, watching him rise and fall with the music, watching him letting go completely dancing until he could barely stand anymore, collapsing to the ground chest heaving but breath-taking smile on his face. As he turned to get up his eyes met Yanjun’s and suddenly Yanjun felt all the breaths he was holding rush out at once, unable to control himself when that beautiful smile was directed his way, with Zhengting coming closer looking radiant and ethereal and every kind of description you would use to describe anything truly beautiful. Yanjun just smiled back, passing Zhengting his bottle from where it stood next to Yanjun’s foot, all of his previous tension and stress floating away from his body and mind when their hands meet.

 

“Hi”

 

“Hi”

 

Zhengting laughed softly, eyes crinkling in that cute way they did whenever he was truly happy. Yanjun was noticing it a lot lately.

 

“How long have you been here for? I didn’t notice you coming in”

 

“I don’t think you would’ve noticed much of anything the way you were dancing,”

 

“and?” he grinned, mischief lighting up his eyes, “did you like what you saw?” Since their awkward ‘heart to heart’ 2 weeks ago Yanjun had found himself falling back to his usual confident ways, they still hadn’t moved onwards from that point but at least there were some improvements, like the way they were constantly flirting, the tension rising whenever they traded words, looked shared and touches lingering longer than needed.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone more beautiful than you,” at this, a blush spread across Zhengting’s cheeks, dusty pink and endlessly endearing. Yanjun loved to throw him compliments like this, just to watch him go shy, to look at him through long lashes and see pink paint his cheeks, teeth catching his bottom lip as he tries not to smile.

 

“Wow you still think that even though I’m all gross like this?”

 

“Of course I do,” winking as he replied, Yanjun threw him the towel from the rail and watched as Zhengting dabbed at his face and neck, eyes following as glistening drops of sweat rolled down his slender neck and under the collar of his shirt, he heard a laugh and his head flicked back upwards to raised eyebrows and a teasing smirk, the towel dabbing slower now, dragging it out. After he’d cooled down completely, breath returned back to a steady rate, he flopped down on the floor tugging on his shoes looking up at Yanjun with a smile.

 

“Why are you here? Not that I mind it’s just so late and there was no guarantee I would actually be here”

 

“Mm I know, to be honest I wasn’t planning to, I saw the lights on and just kinda, drifted over… I hoped you’d be here though” Yanjun offered his hand to Zhengting pulling him up, and waiting as he grabbed the rest of his stuff, holding open the door for him when it was time to leave.

 

“Were you working on your speech?” Zhengting’s hand came up to smooth at the crease between Yanjun’s brows, “you looked stressed, did it not go too well?” Yanjun shook his head,

 

“nothing goes well when you’re not with me” Yanjun feels like he deserves the playful slap that comes his way, that was cheesy even for him. They exit the building all smiles, hands brushing with every step, the feelings of not wanting to part growing the closer they got to the dorms.

 

“Hey so-” Zhengting was playing with his hands, biting his lip cutely as of trying to think of how to phrase his next words, “I really need to take a shower tonight after all that practise but I forgot my roommates are out of town this weekend so I could really use your help” Yanjun choked. As if realising what he said Zhengting started flapping.

 

“Oh my god! Yanjun!” there was another slap directed at him “I-I didn’t mean it like that it’s just I can’t get wet without needing help remember! Besides I thought it was you that said I could call you whenever I needed help being carried!” Yanjun couldn’t help but laugh at Zhengting’s scandalised face, his pout looking adorably kissable and Yanjun really didn’t think he’d be able to control himself much more, but still, he agreed because how could he ever ignore a request from someone with such an iron grip on his heart.  

 

“Ok! After you then princess”

 

Zhengting sputtered and blushed the whole 5 minute walk back to his dorm room, hands shaking as he tried to put the key in the lock so much to the point that Yanjun had to take them himself just to get them inside. His dorm was just so unmistakeably _Zhengting_ of course there were hints of his 2 roommates scattered around, a ridiculously large collection of yo-yos in a case by one of the beds, some kind of minion plush on the other. As for the rest it was neat, tidy, but homely, strings of fairy lights hung around, a collage of polaroids and pictures taking over the wall by which he assumes is Zhengting’s bed, if the dance trophies and collection of hugely over priced accessories is anything to go by. True to Yanjun’s thoughts Zhengting heads over to the bed pulling out some sweats and t-shirt from the drawers’ underneath, grabbing a towel from the rack and dumping them all on top,

 

“do you want a drink or anything? I’ll try to be quick since I know you probably want to head home but there’s some in the mini fridge if you want anything.”  Yanjun just smiled and waved him off with an ‘it’s ok’ watching him disappear into the adjoining bathroom. When he hears the tell-tale sound of water running he moves over to the wall with the pictures, so many snippets of Zhengting’s life were plastered there for display, Zhengting and his band of magical brothers, Zhengting at dance competitions smiling as he puts his arms around the people who lost out to him, blissfully unaware as they all look at him with stars in their eyes. He sees his family, every bit as beautiful and elegant as Yanjun would’ve imagined, their tails shining in the sunlight but none as bright as Zhengting’s in Yanjun’s eyes. Yanjun can feel himself getting lost as his eyes trail from memory to memory, wanting to drink in any bit of information about Zhengting’s life as possible, like how it looks like he had a year as a transfer student (Korea he guesses from the street signs behind them) showing that dazzling smile to a boy who looks equally as enamoured, hands intertwined as they threw their heads back laughing. God how Yanjun wanted that to be them, to be able to hold his hand in public and call him his. To kiss him senseless and take away his breath by laughing, to hold him close and whisper everything he wants to hear and more into his ear and watch how he flushes pretty pink with the attention. He’s quickly snapped back to attention when he hears his name being called softly, hastily making his way to the bathroom trying and failing to shake those last lingering thoughts from his head.

 

“Sorry, I forgot to grab the shower gel from the side before I got in, can you grab it for me?”

 

Suddenly every thought Yanjun had about staying the perfect gentleman vanished instantly. Having clearly opted for a bath rather than a shower Zhengting sat back resting against the back of the tub, tail hanging over the side glittering with droplets of water, trying to keep his eyes from looking at anything but his abs (which were also flawless by the way, seriously how was this fair for Yanjun’s self-control?) he hurriedly grabbed the bottle and practically shoved it at him, desperate to get out of the cramped bathroom as quickly as possible, but not before taking one last look at his tail. Yanjun couldn’t help it, his brain was screaming for him to get out before he did something stupid like kissing him, but still he squatted by the side of the tub watching the muscles of Zhengting’s tail flex and move as he soaped himself. No words could truly describe the colour, partly because of the way it kept shifting in the light, one second deep pink the next a bright violet, shimmering as it twisted this way and that, Yanjun’s hand was on it before he had time to register, feeling the strength underneath his fingers, the softness of the scales, hearing the soft hitch of Zhengting’s breath as he ran his hand down, down to the delicate feathery ends. Yanjun really needs to start thinking before he does things.

 

“You like it that much?” Zhengting’s face is like an open book, curiosity mainly shining through but underneath uncertainty, as if he wasn’t sure what Yanjun’s answer was going to be, as if he was preparing himself for the worst. Yanjun still had his hand on it, loving the way the colours reflected against his tanned skin, making it look as if there was light glowing underneath the digits.

 

“It’s beautiful” he breathed out, not even realising he had stilled that much, “You’re beautiful”

 

“Kiss me”

 

The air was thick with tension but that was all Yanjun had needed to hear before surging upwards, cupping Zhengting’s face in his hands and finally, finally capturing those plump lips with his. Zhengting’s arms immediately reached up, wrapping around Yanjun’s back, fingers threading through his hair as Yanjun moved his lips against his, the only sounds in the room being their breaths becoming more laboured by the second and the gentle splashing of water as Zhengting tried to get more purchase on Yanjun. He whimpered as he slid around in the tub, Yanjun pressing him further and further into the tubs wall practically up on his knees now, trying to get as close to him as possible, trying to pour weeks of feelings into one kiss. They broke off when it got too hard to breathe, chests heaving, faces flushed and hands intertwined.

 

“Get me out” Zhengting had his arms raised, voice breaking off into a whine, desperation evident. Yanjun had him out almost immediately, arms wrapping around him securely, silently thanking Ziyi for constantly dragging him to the gym even though he’d been busier than normal. They reached the bed quickly and Yanjun dropped him down before straddling him quickly and attaching his lips to Zhengting’s neck, sucking and nipping leaving bright pink blooms on the pale skin, listening to Zhengting sigh and groan under him. Yanjun’s hands start wandering lower, over the ridges of Zhengting’s abs and then more before he stops, pulling back with a laugh. More whines from underneath, hands tugging at his trying to get him to return back to his neck, his lips, anything but Yanjun stays firm, looking down at his handiwork, Zhengting with his mouth parted and kiss bitten, eyes dark and glazed over with a trail of pink to rival his tail trailing down his neck, smirking Yanjun pushes off him, settling down to his side instead, listening to a barrage of protests from the boy next to him,

 

“Why are stopping, you can’t just kiss me like that then do nothing about it, please Yanjun please”

 

God he sounded so tempting begging like that, but in his lust he seemed to have forgotten one incredibly crucial part,

 

“Princess, how can we do anything right now when you have a tail?” Yanjun laughs as he watches the realisation hit him, disappointment and frustration flooding his face,

 

“I hate this stupid tail, I can’t believe I’m getting cockblocked by my own body, why is this happening to me-” Yanjun shuts him up with another kiss, softer this time, slower, savouring the way he tastes, faintly like mint toothpaste and something a little sweeter, waiting until he feels the anger subside from his body, relaxing into Yanjun’s side and letting him wrap his arms around him,

 

“if it wasn’t for that tail, we probably would’ve been pining after each other for months like lovesick idiots, sleep now princess, I’ll still be here in the morning we’ll have plenty of time to carry whatever this is then, ok?”

 

“Ok.” His answer is so soft Yanjun almost misses it, especially with the way he’s tucked his head into the crook of Yanjun’s neck breath already evening out into the sounds of sleep, Yanjun just smiles and pulls him in closer as he softly whispers,

 

“Goodnight Zhengting, I really really like you” he feels the puff of laugh against his neck,

 

“Goodnight Yanjun, I really really like you too, now please sleep, I want to hurry up and wake up already” Yanjun laughs again, wondering how he managed to get this lucky, they say skipping class is a bad thing, but when it leads to situations like these Yanjun can’t help but call bullshit.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so there we have it!! this chapter was so hard to start but then suddenly my brain was like yep i know how we're gonna do this lmao, as always leave any comments or suggestions either here, on twt [@ilyzzt](https://twitter.com/ilyzzt) or at my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/ilyzzt)!! (also pls ignore my shitty attempt at a kiss scene bcs i have no idea how that shit works so) (also also its like 2am and i haven't proof read this bcs my brain is dead so if u see any mistakes lmk!!!)


	4. don't be shellfish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uhhhh we finally get to see what happens the next morning *eyes emoji*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCK ok so i'm a terrible person for not updating this sooner but i've been getting my arse kicked by work (i think i have like 2 days off in 2 weeks lmao) but some other bad shit so kdgrjzgjn i'm sorry!!!! but as a 'reward' for waiting so long here is a terrible attempt at smut *sweats*

Yanjun was awoken by the thin beams of sunlight coming through the blinds, filtering through his closed eyelids and gently rousing him with a rosy glow. Blinking sleepily, he tried to bring a hand up to rub at his eyes before realising it was attached to another’s, long thin digits curling into his, soft palm against his own slightly rougher. He smiled, looking across to the face of Zhengting smushed into his pillow, breaths coming out in shallow puffs, plump lips parted slightly. His long eyelashes were fluttering against his cheeks as he dreamed, the morning sun was illuminating him from behind dancing across his soft blonde hair making it shine golden in the light. Yanjun raised his free hand to trace it across his cheek, sweeping the stray hairs away from his eyes and caressing his thumb across the dip of his cupids bow, eliciting a barely audible sigh that spread across the pad of his thumb. Shifting backwards Yanjun drank in the sight of the boy next to him, all hard angles mixed with soft curves creating a perfect contradiction, he gently eased his hand from Zhengting’s and smoothed them down his arms, loving how soft his skin felt before stopping at his hips. God if Yanjun thought he loved his tail then he obviously hadn’t been thinking properly about what his legs might’ve been like, impossibly long and solid to the touch thanks to his countless years of dancing, his hipbones jutting sharply, perfect for digging thumbs into and leaving marks, he wanted to know what they’d feel like wrapped around his waist, strong and powerful but Yanjun would bet all the money he had he could make them soft and pliant, could put all his flexibility to good use by hooking them over his shoulder as he fucked him. But for now, he looked so peaceful like this, Yanjun just trailed his hand up and down his thighs, catching his nails ever so slightly against the bones in his hips when he heard Zhengting whine, soft, still half asleep but definitely there all the same. Smirking, Yanjun lightly scratched against him again feeling Zhengting squirm underneath his touch, rubbing his thumbs against his hips he gently pressed his thumbs into deep v of his muscles, not hard enough to cause any pain but just enough that it had Zhengting’s eyes flying open a low moan leaving his lips. He was looking up at Yanjun now, his eyes blown out and glassy, tongue swiping across his lips leaving them slick with spit practically begging Yanjun to kiss them, leaning forward he caught his lips, the momentum causing him to dig his fingers harder into Zhengting’s hips making his mouth fall open in a moan quickly turning the kiss sloppy as Yanjun pushed his tongue in, taking advantage of Zhengting’s inability to stay quiet, even at a time like this he was still loud, panting and groaning even though Yanjun was barely touching him, hands only skimming thighs and fingers pressing into muscles. It wasn’t long before Zhengting was clutching at the front of Yanjun’s shirt, trying to pull it over his head while simultaneously trying not to break their kiss, it didn’t work of course, and Yanjun pulled away just long enough to yank it off and launch it somewhere on the floor behind them before he was back to his lips, nipping and pulling on his bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth and releasing it with a pop. Yanjun moved to his neck, tongue tracing over the marks he left the night before, leaving a few more blooming down onto his chest, dragging his hands up from his thighs he ran them across Zhengting’s abs, feeling them flex underneath his fingertips at the sensation. Zhengting was already getting needy, Yanjun could feel it in the ways his eyes were watching his every move, in the ways his delicate hands grabbed at his hips, his pants, tugging at Yanjun’s belt loops,

 

“Yanjun please, please I need you to do something” he was almost fully hard now, Yanjun could see it curling upwards towards his stomach, flushed pink against his pale skin, and begging to be touched, Yanjun couldn’t help the smirk pulling at his lips, seeing Zhengting like this was everything he’d wanted for such a long time, he didn’t want this to just be some quick fuck they’d forget about, he wanted it to be burned in both of their memories, the perfect start to their relationship.

 

“Patience princess, I want to take my time with this.” Pushing himself up to hover over Zhengting he began working slowly down his chest, kissing, sucking, nipping at the skin leaving his marks littered over his body reaching the top of his thigh and biting down hard, loving the sounds of Zhengting falling apart above him.

 

“Stop squirming so much” Yanjun mumbled along his skin, thumbs and fingers digging into his hips in an attempt to steady him but only eliciting a stronger reaction, louder moans, hands coming down to tangle in Yanjun’s hair. “Your legs are really sensitive…” as if to make a point he bit down hard on the soft flesh then soothed the marks with his tongue and he felt Zhengting yank his head back harshly, hands buried in his hair but trembling slightly as he tried to catch his breaths.

 

“It-it’s a side effect of being a m-merman I guess” his words were shaky almost as if speaking was too hard for him right now. Yanjun smirked scratching his nails down, watching as Zhengting threw his head backwards, mouth open and eyes lolling back in his head as Yanjun applied varying pressures to his legs, rough presses with his fingers, soft slow trails with his nails, hard bites covered with sweet kisses. With every touch Zhengting arched up more, his dick hard and leaking drops of cum, smearing across his stomach with every movement. Yanjun looked up in amazement, almost unable to believe he could be causing so much reaction just from focusing on his legs,

 

“I wonder if could make you cum untouched” he heard the sharp intake of breath from above before hands were trying to tug him upwards towards his dick.

 

“No Yanjun, please no, I need you to touch me, please” he sounded so sweet begging like this Yanjun almost wanted to agree, wanted to wrap his lips around his pretty little dick and make him cum quick and dirty but the thought of being able to take Zhengting apart, to be able to bring him to that height without even touching him was all too sweet to pass up. Moving down again he spread Zhengting’s legs apart pushing them upwards slightly making sure he couldn’t move, keeping them steady in his firm grip. Yanjun started pressing soft kisses against the insides of his thighs brushing his lips lower, getting closer to his hole, feeling Zhengting’s muscles tense as he started whining. Smiling, with teeth against soft skin, Yanjun bit down hard, making Zhengting moan and try to shift, to get some pressure where he needed it most when Yanjun bit down again,

 

“No you don’t baby, keep your pretty little hands still ok?” Yanjun could almost feel the complaints bubbling up in Zhengting so before they could spill out Yanjun started mouthing at his ass, hearing the words die on his tongue as he cried out instead. Circling his tongue around, Yanjun could feel the way Zhengting was clutching at the sheets, balling them up in his fists as he tried not to reach out and finally get some relief, as much as Yanjun loved to tease he didn’t think he himself would last all that much longer especially with the noises Zhengting was making, Yanjun’s dick straining against the fabric of his jeans almost painfully.  Pushing his tongue past the tight ring of muscles he heard Zhengting starting to beg, strings of incoherent words falling from his lips as Yanjun thrust his tongue in and out of the warmth of his hole, hands leaving the tangle of sheets to drive back into yanjuns hair, pulling the strands trying to get him closer, deeper, until he finally hit that spot that had him crying out. Yanjun was pushing Zhengting’s legs harder now, fingers digging deep enough to leave bruises, nails leaving little crescents etched into his skin, Zhengting crying out from the overstimulation of having Yanjun treating his legs so roughly like this while also hitting that spot so deep in him.  

 

“Yanjun, Yanjun, please I’m so close, I need you do something, anything please” Yanjun could almost see the tears pricking the edge of his eyes, could hear them in the way his voice and body was shaking, legs tensing, moans high and loud, a mixture of Yanjun’s name and curses and nonsensical begging. Yanjun moved his tongue harder and deeper pressing against his walls, moving his hands up and down Zhengting’s legs, alternating between bruising grips and feather light touches until he felt Zhengting yank his head up their eyes locking as he came all over his stomach, crying out in pure bliss, thick white ribbons coating him, some dripping down his legs where Yanjun lapped it up savouring the taste of him on his tongue. Zhengting looked at him with teary eyes, irises blown wide, lips bitten raw from where he had been trying (and very much failing) to stifle his moans, huffing out a disbelieving laugh he pulled Yanjun up into a kiss, searing hot and messy, spit and cum mixing together and dribbling down their chins,

 

“I really hate you”

 

“No you don’t princess” Zhengting smiled at the nickname, eyes drifting downwards to Yanjun’s bulge, mischievous glint in his eyes as he switched their positions, pushing Yanjun down on the opposite side of the bed with ease.

 

“I don’t know my prince… do you really deserve any attention after the way you treated me?” Yanjun groaned softly, he should’ve known that Zhengting would also be an impossible tease.

 

“If you want me to beg baby it’s gonna be a long, long morning” Zhengting pressed a palm to the front of Yanjun’s jeans, palming him slowly,

 

“Are you sure about that?” Yanjun definitely wasn’t sure about that. With Zhengting rubbing him so slow he felt like he would lose his mind if he didn’t hurry up and do something more substantial, but Yanjun had a reputation to uphold and he would rather die than beg on the first date,

 

“If you’re not gonna put that pretty mouth to good use then I can always take care of myself” raising an eyebrow at him in challenge, Yanjun pushed his fingers into Zhengting’s hair, pulling his face down his crotch, daring him to pull away. They stared at each other, neither one willing to back down until Zhengting finally cracked, greedy hands tugging at his jeans, undoing the button and zipper and pulling them off, underwear included, in record time, Yanjun’s dick finally springing up, swollen and red from where it had been trapped, untouched but begging for the attention of the beautiful boy in front of him. Zhengting licked his lips, barely even giving Yanjun any warning before bobbing down and practically swallowing him in one suck. He pulled back up, tongue swirling around the tip, collecting the drops of precum that had been beading for a while before dropping back down again, hitting the back of his throat Yanjun didn’t think it was possible for Zhengting to take him deeper until he felt his throat relax and he dropped further, nose nestling in the fine hairs at his navel. Yanjun was seeing stars. Everything felt so warm and his lips were pulled so tight that when he starting moving up and down again it took all of Yanjun’s will power not to just start fucking into his mouth, eyes rolling back into his head he couldn’t help the low groans being pulled from him, praising Zhengting, telling him how beautiful he looked like this, that he was doing so good. Yanjun looked over to him and almost came at the sight, soft blonde hair slightly sticking to his forehead with sweat, long lashes tickling his cheeks and the prettiest pink lips stretched around his dick, wet and slick with spit and cum, a few stray tears rolling down when he took the wrong angle and choked slightly but carrying on again as hungry as before taking Yanjun too deep so he felt like he was going to lose his mind. Yanjun couldn’t help the hands in his hair from tugging, guiding him faster, faster, and Zhengting just swallowed around him, happy to oblige and Yanjun was so close now he didn’t think he could take much more.

 

“Baby, I think I’m gonna-” that was all Zhengting needed to hear before moving upwards, digging his tongue into Yanjun’s slit, then back to circling around the tip the movements driving him crazy, making him moan and it wasn’t long before Yanjun was coming into Zhengting’s mouth, his load hitting the back of his throat as he greedily drank it all down, milking him for every last drop, and chasing the stray drops he missed with his tongue. They collapsed down onto to the bed, Yanjun pulling Zhengting up so they were facing each other, mouths meeting in a lazy kiss,

 

“Good morning my prince” Zhengting’s smile was brighter than the sunlight streaming in and Yanjun drank in the sight, of this beautiful boy, covered in the evidence of their time together, pink blooms across his neck and chest, bites looking angry red against his pale thighs and mixed with violet bruises.

 

“Good morning my princess, I hope you slept well, and that you had a nice wakeup call”

 

“It was definitely amongst my top 5” Zhengting tapped a hand against his chin as if he was thinking hard as to where this morning stood against others and Yanjun threw him distrustful look,

 

“What? Only top 5? I have to work harder…” Yanjun traced the marks he’d left on his thighs softly,

 

“I hope I didn’t hurt you too much” Zhengting’s eyes were glinting again, lips turned up into a mischievous smile,

 

“No, I liked it… a lot. But you’ll have to go get breakfast, I don’t think I can walk for another 20 minutes max”

 

“It’s a deal” Yanjun kissed him again, slowly, softly and then got up to start getting dressed, looking at Zhengting splayed out on the bed, Cheshire cat smile as he lazily stretched, watching Yanjun through his lashes, suddenly he was grinning, eyes alight with something dangerous,

 

“Hey so, after we’ve eaten breakfast, my roommates aren’t home until tomorrow so, you know…” he trailed off, raised his eyebrow and Yanjun leaned over and kissed him, hard,

 

“I’ll be right back” Yanjun dashed out, Zhengting’s laughter pealing behind him. And if anyone was to ask Yanjun why he was sprinting across campus at 9am with a bag of bagels and two coffees… well he’d make up some excuse.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uhhhhh yeah, i hope you enjoyed it??? i'll try to be a bit more consistent with updates again (fingers crossed!!) and i wanna give a huuuuuuge thank you to chii for being my angel savior and helping me through this ily!!! as always you can find me at twt @[ilyzzt](https://twitter.com/ilyzzt) or cc @[ilyzzt](https://curiouscat.me/ilyzzt)!! thank you so much for waiting patiently and i hope it was worth it in the end!! (also its 12am and i didn't read through this bcs my brain is dying so if you spot any mistakes hit me up!!)


	5. we were mermaid for each other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yanjun finally tells him its love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm a terrible person i know but i hope this garbage chapter makes up for some of the wait, i haven't checked through it since i wrote this partly on a train to busan and partly in a cafe overlooking the sea so i kept getting distracted lmao so if there's any major mistakes please let me know! as always this is for my love chii for her kicking my arse into finally writing out this chapter even though i kept wanting to put it off, potentially some confusing time skips because i didn't know how to plot out the majority of this chapter but hopefully it still makes sense.... anyway please enjoy!!

“So how does it actually work then?” Zhengting looked up at him, eyebrows raised questioningly, as if prompting Yanjun to carry on. “You know, the whole can’t get wet thing” He puffed out a laugh, picking up his teacup from where it was precariously close to spilling over Yanjun’s sheets of notes and textbooks. 

 

“What exactly do you want to know?” Yanjun paused, trying to sort out the questions running through his head at a mile a minute,

 

“Just… What  _ exactly  _ does it take to get you to change? If I sprayed you with mist would that work? Or do I have to douse you or what?” 

 

“Hm, well mist wouldn’t work, at least not straight away anyway,” Zhengting sighed, “you see it’s kind of complicated, it’s more to do with the volume and time exposed more than anything, so theoretically, yes, you could get me to turn with a mist spray, but you’d have to spray me all over and for a considerable time for it to work.” Yanjun nodded, watching as Zhengting swirled the dregs of his tea in the cup, pondering his next words carefully, “why do you want to know so badly though?”

 

“Can’t a boyfriend be curious? There’s not really a ‘how to take care of your mermaid boyfriend’ manual around either so...” 

 

“Very funny, but it sounds to me just like you’re trying to put off writing your speech again” Zhengting put his cup down and pushed the notes closer to Yanjun, tapping his pen on the page as he looked at Yanjun with that kind of exasperated expression he usually saves for when Yanjun’s being dumb or he’s trying to find a way out of a situation he can’t really avoid. Much like now. It’s not that Yanjun wasn’t looking forward to election day and the final big presentation, he was itching to know whether he had made it, whether he would have the chance to implement all the changes the school was long overdue, but the reality was he was struggling. Struggling with his final speech, to overcome his last minute nerves and more so to believe he had the support he needed to make his campaign as success. Everyone around him was so certain of Yanjun’s success and as much as he believed in them, believed in himself there was always that small part of himself that thought he was crazy for even making this attempt. Being around Zhengting helped, he always had this way of calming him down, saying the right combination of words or giving him gentle touches, soft and subtle but enough so Yanjun could feel his presence steady beside him but Yanjun couldn’t keep relying on Zhengting forever. He knew that he had to eventually step up and deliver the speech he knew he was capable of, to finally be able to take his place as student body president and show everyone who believed in him (and those who didn’t) that he was worthy of their support and that he would do them proud, would bring about the equality the university so desperately needed. Yanjun felt the warmth of a hand on his, fingers interlocking and coaxing him to look upwards into the soft stare of his boyfriend,

 

“earth to Yanjun? You’re doing it again baby” Yanjun just blinked, 

 

“doing what again”

 

“spacing out and overthinking, I can see the stress lines crinkling up your brow from here” Yanjun let out a sigh, feeling his shoulders sag with the released tension as he slumped forward onto the desk, fingers still entwined with Zhengting’s he began to gently play with the ring on Zhengting’s middle finger. Shortly after he felt another hand come up and softly stroke through his hair, another low sigh being heard in the general vicinity of where he guessed his boyfriends head was, Yanjun could imagine the look on Zhengting’s face, the way his brows knit together when he’s worried, his lips pulling down in a frown, eyes trained on Yanjun and Yanjun alone. 

 

“Tell me what’s on your mind” 

 

“It’s stupid” Yanjun was mumbling into the desk, couldn’t bring himself to meet eyes with Zhengting, felt embarrassed by how he was acting but still unable to pull himself out of this spiral of negative thoughts.

 

“Yanjun…”

 

“I just… do you really think I’m up to this Ting? What if this is just all for nothing, what if i mess up the final presentation, what if I’m just not good enough…” Yanjun felt the hand on his hair still a fraction before trailing down to his cheek, soft hands cupping his face and tilting it so he could look into the eyes of his boyfriend, looking exactly how he imagined him prior expect his eyes were shining with some kind of conviction, like he was determined to knock some sense into him but then also console him and reassure him that everything was going to be fine. 

 

“Baby, listen to me, you’re going to be fine. You’ve worked too hard to let everything slip away because of your doubts. You have all the support from the magical community, the support from your friends and all those who believe in your cause. You’re going to change so many things for the better Yanjun and I’m so proud of you.”

 

Yanjun puffed out a little laugh, listening to his boyfriend give him the most impassioned speech while simultaneously chiding him for trying to push away his responsibilities was just so typically  _ Zhengting _ but Yanjun couldn’t help the wash of relief that flowed over him as he took in Zhengting’s words, he was right, as always, in that Yanjun had the support and drive to carry him through the final step, he’d seen it. From the countless people who would stop him in the corridors and shyly whisper to him that they supported everything that he was trying to achieve or them, to make their lives at university so much more comfortable and that because of him they felt so much more confident in their magical identity. To the people that told him they hadn’t even considered these issues before and thanking him for opening their eyes to the acts of discrimination that were slipping by unseen. He could do it. He knew he could do it but sometimes the uncertainty would eat at him, make him believe in things that were untrue, so many opportunities had passed by like this before and Yanjun found himself wondering where he would be right now if he had had Zhengting then. Zhengting who had become his anchor these past few months, who despite his busy schedules and grueling training still found time to help him, give him insights into his and others problems, to calm his mind when he got too restless. Yanjun could feel the words bubbling up in his throat, trying so desperately to blurt out of his mouth so he clamped his lips together tightly. This was neither the time nor the place he wanted to admit these feelings out loud, he needed it to be just as special as the one who would be receiving them, instead he just smiled, taking Zhengting’s other hand in his and hoping that his gaze was conveying the words locked tight in his heart. 

 

“What would I do without my sweet princess”

 

Zhengting scoffed, “I don’t know, suffer I guess. Are you ok now? Ready to continue?”

 

“Yeah, I think I’m finally ready”

 

 

* * *

__

 

“Zhangjing, Zhangjing! I need your help” Yanjun skidded into the room he shared with his best friends and immediately began shouting the one he deemed most helpful in this situation. Yanjun heard the exasperated sigh coming from the general direction of the kitchenette and turned on his heel only to be greeted by the unimpressed face of his roomate and his armful of snacks.

 

“This better not have anything to do with your speech, I’ve told you thousands of times anyone else is going to be more helpful than me.” Yanjun follows him through into their tiny living room area and waits till Zhangjing is sat comfortably back in front of his laptop, blinking word document open indicating he was still trying (and failing) to get started on his paper. He heard the pop of the snack packets being opened and watched as he turned his body to face Yanjun on the couch, one hand digging around in the bag while the other signalled Yanjun to start his spiel. 

 

“I need you to help me confess to Zhengting, like I want it to be romantic and full of sincerity but I don’t know how. Do you think merfolk find some things more romantic than others? Flowers would be a safe bet right? Oh god what if there’s some types of flowers merfolk are allergic to-”

 

“Yanjun! You’re doing that really annoying thing again, you know the one where you babble on about useless stuff without actually getting to the point.” Zhangjing shifted in his seat fixing him with his sternest ‘I can’t be bothered listening to this’ face and sighed. “Besides, I don’t follow, what do you mean by ‘confess to Zhengting’? He’s been your boyfriend for the past 3 months why would you need to confess now?”

 

“Zhangjing, I’m in love with him.” 

 

“Ah,” Zhangjing put down the snack bag and drew his knees up to his chest, looping his arms around and resting his chin upon them; looking at Yanjun closely, “that’s all? I’m surprised you haven’t blurted it out already you’re terrible for keeping your mouth shut.” His tone was light, teasing but Yanjun couldn’t help the wave of desperation crashing over him,

 

“I just need this to be perfect.” Almost as if sensing Yanjun’s imposing mental breakdown Zhangjing softened immediately, reaching a warm hand over to pat Yanjun’s calf where it rested against his, “hey, I was just joking Yanjun, don’t look so serious. I know what you’re like, you think that you have to do some big event with a bunch of special features that will blow him away, but honestly you don’t see the way he looks at you. When you’re not looking his eyes are filled with stars, like you’re the only thing in this whole universe and that he would follow you to the ends of the earth, he’s not going to care if you buy him 12 different types of flowers or a fancy dinner, the only thing he wants to hear is that you love him like he clearly loves you. Don’t think too much Yanjun, for once let your big dumb mouth run free.”

 

Yanjun laughed quitely and fell forward so he was resting his head against Zhangjing’s thigh, their faces just a fraction apart. “You’re the absolute worst at making people feel good about themselves” Zhangjing rolled his eyes and gently knocked his head against Yanjun’s,

 

“love you too Jun, but seriously you needed to hear it, I’m so tired of you just constantly getting in your own head about stuff, don’t let this one slip away this time ok?” Yanjun smiled, thinking over on what Zhangjing had said and realising like always that his best friend was speaking sense, not that he’d ever admit it to his face, he didn’t need anymore of an ego and Yanjun found himself thanking whatever deity was responsible for friendship for giving him the best childhood friend he could’ve asked for. 

 

“Did you mean it though? The whole, ‘he looks at you with stars in his eyes’ or whatever it was, you can be so uselessly poetic sometimes, is it just a side effect of being a music major?” Zhanjing scoffed and pulled his head back,

 

“I’ll have you know if you ever bothered to put half of your knowledge towards actually writing anything you could probably write some beautiful sentiments that would have your little merman swooning at your feet but it’s a shame that outside of class you only have half a braincell.” Now it was Yanjun’s turn to pull bac affronted.

 

“Wow I take back every nice thing I’ve ever thought about you you’re so mean”

 

“Mm, you still love me really you wouldn’t survive without me, now if you’ve finished having your romantic crisis go away I need to concentrate on something actually important.” Yanjun flipped him off and swung his legs back off the couch, he had a lot of thinking to do for himself it seemed, both about his looming presentation and the still unanswered question of how he was going to tell Zhengting he was madly in love with him. 

 

 

* * *

__

 

Yanjun could hear the crowd shuffling and mumbling from behind the curtain and with every second the anxiety in his heart grew, his palms were clamming up and he was sure that pretty soon the sweat dripping down his neck would start to soak into the back of his shirt. He scanned around and could see his opponents fluttering around, practising their speeches with the campaign partners, smoothing over their shirts making sure any tiny creases that may have been missed were flattened out or just generally looking as nervous as Yanjun felt. It was times like this he was grateful for his poker face, stoic as always even though a storm was brewing up inside of his mind and heart, but to his opponents looking calm and collected, ready to deliver the most important speech of his life so far. Before his feelings could swallow him and take over the remains of his sanity he felt a warm hand slip in his and spin him round into a hug that smelt of salty ocean waves, summer sunshine and a hint of that expensive perfume he liked so much. Yanjun let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding and melted into the arms of his boyfriend, arms automatically wrapping round his slim waist and turning his face to bury in the warmth of his neck, he felt the laugh before he heard it, bubbling up like the clearest stream and spilling out into the air like the beautiful cascade of a waterfall. Bright, cheerful, full of love and hope; everything that Yanjun loved about him and he found himself pressing closer, trying to hear that sound again and again, ease his fears and set his mind straight, where all it did in reality was fill his thoughts with him and only him, election just a distant memory.

 

“You’re really that nervous huh?” Yanjun just nodded, the momentum pressing his lips against Zhengting’s skin just briefly, the taste of salt filling his mouth in a comforting way, like the way one would look at the ocean and feel at home with the sounds of waves breaking against the shore. “-do great trust me, baby? Are you listening to me?” Yanjun shook his head this time, he didn’t want to think about anything else other than the way Zhengting felt in his arms right now, especially not the election he could hear starting up behind him. Zhengting laughed again and pulled back so he could look at Yanjun in the eyes, his smile was brighter than the sun and he could finally understand what Zhangjing had been talking about, Zhangjing and all his flowery words that held nothing but the truth as Yanjun looked into Zhengting’s eyes and saw all those stars swimming amongst deep brown, the whole galaxy trapped in his boyfriends eyes, shining just for him. 

 

“Yanjun baby, stop spacing out it’s almost your turn, you need to get prepared,” slim hands turned him back round and pushed him towards the edge of the curtain, the muffled sounds of the ending from one of his opponents coming from behind the thick velvet. All the nerves and anxiety Yanjun had felt before had all but disappeared, his hands were steady, mind clear and focused on the task ahead, there was just one thing that wasn’t settled and he it wouldn’t surprise him if Zhengting could hear the steady thump from where he stood beside him, squeezing his hand tightly in a non verbal show of reassurance. There was no denying the effect Zhengting had on him, from being just mere seconds away from fleeing this whole scene to feeling like the most confident candidate in the room, just being around him gave him the sense of security and comfort he needed to soothe his ever restless mind from spiralling into a perfectionist meltdown. If Yanjun was the passionate fire, intent on burning all that was around him then Zhengting was the cool water that kept him in check, that guided him to greatness and helped soothe and burns he might sustain. He could hear the applause roaring from behind him but the sound was dulled, replaced instead with the sound of blood rushing to his head, sounding strangely similar to the crash of a wave and he remember Zhangjing’s words, he was right, he was always right that smug bastard, but truly, Zhengting didn’t care for overly zealous displays of affection and Yanjun was an idiot for keeping his thoughts locked so tightly for so long, he could hear the backstage team calling for him but he knew he couldn’t go without getting everything off his chest. He reached for Zhengting’s other hand, holding them both tightly in his grip, feeling sure and steady for probably the first time in his life, 

 

“Baby? It’s your turn... you’re not having second thoughts are you?”

 

“No, I’ve never felt so sure of anything in my life, but I need you to hear this before I go. I can’t go out there without settling my heart first so please, just hear me out.” Zhengting nodded, not wanting to break Yanjun away from whatever it was he was steeling himself for, Yanjun let out a shaky sigh before looking deep into Zhengting’s eyes. “Nothing would have been possible without being by my side, not even just from a campaign perspective, theorectically anyone could’ve helped me prepare if I had asked them too, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make here-” Zhengting tried to hide a smile, “What I’m trying to say is, you complete me. I’ve never felt as calm and as content as I do when I’m with you, you take all my flaws in your stride and made me into a better man, without you being by my side, guiding me, supporting me, I would’ve given this up a long time ago, but you always bring me back from the edge, remind me that I can do anything I set my mind to and comfort me whenever I fall. You have been the greatest change in my life and I don’t know where I’d be without you. I love you Zhu Zhengting and I’ll love you until the oceans run dry.” A hand freed itself from his and softly swatted against his arm and Yanjun watched as a few tears dripped a crystalline trail down Zhengting’s soft cheeks, he instinctively raised his free hand to cup his face and softly sweep the pad of his thumb across the wetness and felt as Zhengting turned his face to kiss his palm. Another light hit before he was being slowly pushed further towards the ever waiting stage by his boyfriend’s delicate touches.

 

“You dumb idiot you couldn’t just wait until after your speech,” Zhengting sniffed and dabbed at his tears, soft smile and crinkled eyes the telltale signs that he wasn’t truly mad in the slightest, “I love you too, more than you could possibly know but if you don’t go out there onto that stage right now all our hard work would be for nothing anyway, so go, deliver the speech I know you’re capable of and when we see each other in the next hour you better be our new student council president ok?”

 

“Ok. I love you.”

 

“I love you too you fool but you need to go!” With Zhengting’s confession and the sound of his bright laughter ringing in his ears and heart Yanjun finally felt that after all these months of work he was ready, he had become the person he had always wanted to be, confident, calm but passionate and most importantly, loved. He took a deep breath before pulling back the curtain and stepping onto the stage, the lights blinding and the cheers overwhelming but whereas the old Yanjun would’ve immediately turned and ran instead he flashed a dimpled smile towards the audience, where in the front row a flustered Zhengting was trying to find his seat after having dashed from the wings, cheeks red from the exertion or from Yanjun’s sudden confession he didn’t know but now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that, now it was time to make him proud. Reaching the podium and turning to face the crowd Yanjun’s smile never faltered, 

 

“Hi, it’s good to see so many of you here, I hope you’re comfortable this might be a long one,” quiet laughter rippled through the crowd, “I’m Yanjun, one of your candinets for this election, although most of you might know me more by Prince Charming,” more laughter, “If you direct your attention to the screen behind me I’ll begin to lay out the policies I hope to bring to our university through my presidency...”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Yanjun stretched, shaking off the sleep still clinging to his muscles, gentle sunlight peeking in through the half opened blinds illuminating the empty space next to him. Wait. Empty space… Blinking a few more times Yanjun pulled himself up into a seated position and blearily looked around the room for any trace of his boyfriend, it was the weekend so neither of them had classes so where did he end up going? Swinging his legs off the bed and pulling on some sweats he padded into the small kitchenette to see his boyfriend stood at the stove, swaying along to whatever pop song that was coming softly from the radio in the corner, the smell of eggs, bacon and pancakes drifting over and making Yanjun’s stomach rumble, he waited until Zhengting had moved away from the heat lest he scare him before wrapping his arms around his waist and attaching his lips to the back of his neck eliciting a small jump before his boyfriend melted back into his arms, “What are you doing awake baby? I wanted to surprise you…”

 

Yanjun just hummed against his neck, pressing small kisses, biting the lower part of his ear until he heard Zhengting moan softly and swat at the arms around his waist, “Stop being distracting and go back to bed before I burn the breakfast”

 

“Smells good, but you smell better” Zhengting laughed loud and bright,

 

“Shut up and go back to bed Yanjun, I’ll bring it in when it’s finished, just 5 more minutes ok? Then after we’ve eaten then you can have me all to yourself.” Yanjun sighed against Zhengting’s neck and felt the small shiver that shook through his boyfriend, as much as he wanted to stay pressed against his back, kissing, touching, he couldn't deny the fact he was hungry so he retreated for now, back into the warm of his bed and patiently awaited his boyfriend to come from the kitchen tray in hand, plates stacked high with breakfast and 2 steaming mugs of coffee. Yanjun reached up and took the tray while Zhengting settled himself in the bed next to him, he balanced the tray between both of their legs and tucked in, 

 

“I thought it was my turn to make breakfast this week?” Yanjun questioned Zhengting, half a rasher of bacon hanging from his mouth as he spoke,

 

“Mm it was, but after all breakfast in bed was the least I could do for our Mr President” Zhengting had a sly smile on his face as he teased Yanjun about his newest nickname,

 

“I can think of a lot of other things you could do for me,” running his hand up Zhengting’s thigh and feeling his boyfriend squirm under his grip, Yanjun smirked, leaning over to gently nip at his ear.

 

“Ah! Y-yes but later ok? Let’s at least finish breakfast first for god’s sake” Yanjun just laughed and turned back to his plate, 

 

“I love you Princess”

 

Zhengting rolled his eyes as he took a sip of his coffee, “I love you too, my Prince” he paused, “or I guess now it should be my President...” At Yanjun’s indignant complaints of hating his new nickname he just laughed and focused on his breakfast, Yanjun’s promises of making him pay afterwards not sounding unpleasant in the slightest.

__

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shitty ending but whats new lmao, no fancy links this time bcs i'm doing all this on a tablet atm and i cba trying to figure it out (i'm on holiday and i'm lazy i'm sorry) but as always if you wanna hit me up i'm always on twitter @ilyzzt and cc @ilyzzt too! hope you enjoyed the chapter and hopefully it doesn't take me 10 million yrs to write the next (but don't hold ur hopes up i tend to be a constant disappointment)


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